I just completed my Motorcycle Saftey Program sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. I am now a fully licensed motorcycle rider.
It was originally an activity for me and my dad to do together, but he dropped out. He got discouraged and pissed off and took his ball and went home. Sure he had some problems, but nothing that would have prevented him from passing. So in his stubborness he quit, and only hurt himself. Now he will have to take the much harder PennDot exam.
The overall course was pretty cool. It was a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. Mondays were classroom, Tuesdays and Thursdays were the riding days. A rediculously easy book test was given the second Monday and the final skills riding test was given on the final Thursday.
Everyone in our class passed. I even screwed up pretty bad. They judge the test on a maximum of 20 deductions. Everyone starts with 0. I got four deductions on the figure eight. Even though the previous 2 times doing it I did it perfectly. Then I became flusterd and on the swerve right immediately after the figure eight and I hit a cone, 10 points.
I then got two decuctions for stopping in 18 feet instead of 16. I was going to fast and locked up the rear tire. And I aced the high speed cornering. So with 16 points, and 4 to spare I passed the test.
Another gentleman messed up every exercise, though he didn't hit a cone, he did mess up the figure 8, the swerve he did too slow. He braked too soon on the braking exercise, and he did the same on the cornering. He still passed.
The course was a long two weeks. I was losing sleep over it, and the one RiderCoach was sort of a hardass (the reason my dad quit). But I'm glad I did it now that I did it. I guess its sort of the stories I hear of boot camp. You hate it when you are doing it, but after it's over, you completed it and you feel good about yourself.
I thought all you had to do was order a motorcycle permit from Harrisburg, get a little driving experience, and then eventually take a test whenever you felt like it. (mine in 1989 was just a few figure 8's coupled with a little serpentine driving and stop at the stop sign with the front tire between two white lines. I failed my first one, though, because I didn't put my feet on the ground during a stop sign.) Now they make people take a course?
Posted by: Holner at August 19, 2007 09:23 AMI used to find motorcycles annoying and I'd deride people who noisily rev their engines or do wheelies. But now I realize- it's the best way to kill off the idiots in our society. Now, I'm thankful for people like you who have poor judgment and stupidly put their lives on the line.
Posted by: faulkner at August 22, 2007 08:48 AM
